Sanity and Stress Saving Tips to Survive The Holidays In One Piece
During the 'Most Wonderful Time of Year' here's what I do to find some peace and internal zen so I actually enjoy this time of year!
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While the holiday season is filled with joy and good cheer, it’s no secret that it can also be filled with stress, so many scheduling commitments, busy-ness that just won’t quit, and a never-ending list of things to do, to buy, to bake…. and on it goes.
I’m sharing some of my tips so that you make it through the holidays with your sanity intact, your stress levels hovering in the moderate (rather than sky high) zone, and so that you can actually savor the season!
Some of this may be common sense and you just need a black-and-white reminder for. Some of it may be a fresh perspective. Take what you need, leave the rest.
Holiday Sanity Savers to Keep You Smiling Not Stressing
Sleep enough. It’s no secret here, but getting proper sleep makes everything more palatable and less stressful. This is not the time of year to skimp despite your phone’s uncanny ability to keep you doomscrolling well past your bedtime. Shut your electronics off and sleep!
Eat properly. Indulge but have an off switch. ‘Tis the season to indulge, and go for it. But not every day for two months straight. Pick and choose your moments, and the rest of the time focus on good nutrition. For me, that means high protein meals (100g+ per day) with lots of green veggies, moderate carbs, and fat grams in check (~50g per day). And then when I have a Saturday night Christmas party or fancy holiday dinner at a restaurant, I feel balanced and ready.
Don’t go to holiday parties starving. Ties into the above but when I do this I not only make choices like babysitting the amazing baked brie and never leaving its side, and inhaling a bunch of random carbs like crackers and bread that I normally wouldn’t, but I just feel worse the next day. Eat something before parties, preferably at least 25-30 grams protein like leftover chicken breast, some deli lunch meat, cottage cheese, Trader Joe’s frozen turkey meatballs, or your go-to.
Water first, then everything else. Between dry winter air and holiday parties where the booze is flowing, make sure to not skimp on your water intake this time of year. Your skin, your liver, your digestion, your everything will thank you. The same can be said for caffeine. Here’s looking at you Starbucks holiday drinks. Both alcohol and caffeine dehydrate you, and can also throw your sleep out of whack, so if you’re not abstaining, I find that at least 64 ounces of water a day is critical - and more if I’m particularly active with running or hot yoga.
Speaking of water, over the past few weeks, I’ve been incorporating these little packets of Pique Radiant Skin Duo into my water to help jazz it up (if you struggle with drinking glass after glass of plain water, this is for you). It’s quickly become one of those small rituals that make a big difference. The Sun Goddess Matcha gives me sustained calm energy in the morning while supporting gut health and brighter skin. In the afternoon, I use B·T Fountain which is packed with ceramides and electrolytes that hydrate and smooth the skin from within. Simple, effective, self-care with clean, clinically backed. Get 20% off for life + a free starter kit when you use my link.
Don’t quit your exercise routine now. It’s tempting with the shorter days to not go for your daily walk or run after work, to skip yoga or pilates in favor of a holiday party, to call off your gym session with yourself because you’re too exhausted. My advice is to schedule your workouts into your calendar just like any other appointment and don’t cancel on yourself! 9am zoom, 10am computer work, 12-130pm quick lunch + power walk. If you’re struggling with motivation after work to make it to your fitness class or lifting at the gym, my tough love advice is just go and do it. You’ll feel better 10 minutes into it, fake it til you make it, and you’ll always thank yourself when it’s done! Exercise regulates our cortisol levels (stress hormones) and is non-negotiable this time of year.
Spend time alone and/or in nature. Be with yourself and your own thoughts. Get introspective, meditate, journal, practice gratitude, practice deep-breathing, restorative yoga. I am nothing if I don’t spend at least an hour outside, every day, by myself, walking or running. I made the choice 25 years ago to move to San Diego so realistically I can be outside every day because I know that without fresh air, and the grounding influence of being outdoors, and for me moving my body at least 10-15k steps a day (normally closer or at 20k) but I am not a good mother, wife, business owner, and most of all, I am not good to myself. I become depressed, edgy, anxiety-ridden, and something that’s simple, free, and easy is my remedy. To this end, if you know that you’re prone to seasonal affective disorder, try to get sunlight first thing in the morning. I also schedule midday walks/runs for myself this time of year to take advantage of what limited sunlight there is.
Don’t Over-schedule and don’t overcommit. Just Say No! Tempting as it is to tell your three friends or work friends or family who all just happen to have a party on the same weekend that you’re for sure going (to all of them), this is a bad move. You’ll be rushing in every sense of the word, checking traffic on Googlemaps to see how things look, when you’re at one event you’ll be checking your watch to make sure you leave on time to get to the next, and you’re never really present for any of it. Pick one, go all in, be fully present, enjoy it, and don’t feel bad about your choices.
Do what you really want to do and is realistic. The above example can be extrapolated into any number of scenarios including signing up for gift exchanges, cookie exchanges, volunteering at your child’s school for such-and-such, overcommitting to the neighborhood moms that sure all the toddlers can come over to your house to make glitter artwork, promising your mother-in-law that you’ll wrap her Christmas presents for her, promising to make an oh-so-good but really time-consuming recipe to bring to a party (with people you may not really even be that close to), telling your girlfriends that you’d love to do a progressive holiday dinner, allowing your kids to sign up for Christmas caroling (or name an activity) but that involves tons of driving or carpool coordination, and on, and on, and on it goes. Just say no. Because the consequences are rushing, stress, feeling overly busy, resenting the activity at hand, and you are the one who pays the price ultimately.
Tell me in the comments section on this post what you do to save your stress and sanity levels during the holidays?
Yikes, Avenue! Do you get questions or statements like that often? Thank you for all your advice.
“Don’t Over-schedule and don’t overcommit. Just Say No!”
Definitely needed this reminder!